Headgear

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a headgear covering a head portion of a wearer. The head gear comprises a hemispherical portion and a visor member. The hemispherical portion is adapted to receive the head portion of the wearer and defines a circular rim. The visor member is attached to at least a part of the circular rim and is substantially perpendicular to the hemispherical portion. At least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of at least one a hook fastening material and a loop fastening material capable of removably coupling to at least one patch.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to apparel accessories, and moreparticularly, to a headgear for covering a head portion of a wearer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Headgear, such as caps, is typically used for protecting a head portionof a wearer. Headgear may further include a visor member for protectinga face portion and eyes of the wearer from rays of the sun. The headgearis typically available in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs toprovide a wide range of choice for wearers wishing to purchase theheadgears.

Headgear may also be used as fashion accessories. Logotypes of entitiessuch as professional sports teams or athletic apparel manufacturers maybe displayed on the headgears. The wearers wishing to associatethemselves with an entity may choose the headgear with a logotypeuniquely identifying the entity. Accordingly, the wearers may need topurchase multiple pieces of headgear in order to associate themselveswith multiple entities. The wearers may also need to purchase themultiple headgear, as fashion accessories, suited for differentoccasions such as sporting events or family outings.

Also, a typical headgear item may preclude any customizing option forthe wearer to customize the headgear according to the wearer'spreference. Purchasing the multiple headgear may be an expensiveproposition for the wearers. Further, purchasing multiple headgear mayalso be a time consuming activity.

Accordingly, there exists a need for headgear, capable of beingconfigured to the wearer's preference for precluding the wearer frompurchasing multiple items of headgear suited for the differentoccasions. Further, there exists a need for exploring additionalfunctionality of the headgear. There is also a need for improving thestyle of the headgear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, thegeneral purpose of the present invention is to provide a headgear,configured to include all the advantages of the prior art, and toovercome the drawbacks inherent therein.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a headgearfor covering a head portion of a wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a headgear capableof being configured to the wearer's preference.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a headgearcapable of performing functionality in addition to covering a headportion of the wearer.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a headgearwith improved style.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a headgear covering a headportion of a wearer. The head gear comprises a hemispherical portion anda visor member. The hemispherical portion is adapted to receive the headportion of the wearer and defines a circular rim. The visor member isattached to at least a part of the circular rim and is substantiallyperpendicular to the hemispherical portion. At least one of thehemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of at least onea hook fastening material and a loop fastening material capable ofremovably coupling to at least one patch.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one patchcomprises a logotype capable of being displayed on the at least onepatch. The wearer may couple patches of the at least one patch to atleast one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member forconfiguring the headgear to the wearer's preference and suited to thedifferent occasions.

Further, the at least one patch may also be configured to removablycouple at least one of a GPS chip, a strobe light, a removable shade, apair of sunglasses and an portable media device to at least one of thehemispherical portion and the visor member. Further, the headgear mayalso comprise an attaching mechanism for attaching a pair of earphonesto at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member,thereby performing functionality additional to covering the head portionof the wearer.

Also, at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor memberconfigured of at least one of the hook fastening material and the loopfastening material may improve the style of the headgear. Further,coupling the at least one patch to at least one of the hemisphericalportion and the visor member, suited to the wearer's preference, mayalso improve the style of the headgear.

These together with other aspects of the present invention, along withthe various features of novelty that characterize the present invention,are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forma part of this present invention. For a better understanding of thepresent invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objectsattained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanyingdrawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplaryembodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become betterunderstood with reference to the following detailed description andclaims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likeelements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a headgear, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a headgear removably coupled to a pairof sunglasses, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a headgear removably coupled to aremovable shade, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a headgear configured with a compartment, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a headgear with an attaching mechanismfor attaching a pair of earphones, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a headgear removably coupled to a pairof earphones, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the descriptionof several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary embodiments described herein detail for illustrativepurposes are subject to many variations in structure and design. Itshould be emphasized, however, that the present invention is not limitedto a particular headgear, as shown and described. It is understood thatvarious omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated ascircumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended tocover the application or implementation without departing from thespirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.

The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote anyorder, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish oneelement from another, and the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote alimitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least oneof the referenced item.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a headgear 100, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The headgear 100 includes ahemispherical portion 102 and a visor member 104. FIG. 1 depicts atleast one patch such as a patch 106 removably coupled to the headgear100. In FIG. 1, the patch 106 is shown to be removably coupled to thehemispherical portion 102 of the headgear 100. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the patch 106 may be removably coupled to the visormember 104.

The hemispherical portion 102 is adapted to receive a head portion of awearer (not shown). The wearer, as used herein in the description, maybe any person capable of wearing a headgear such as the headgear 100.The hemispherical portion 102 defines a circular rim 108. The visormember 104 is attached to at least a part of the circular rim 108 asdepicted in FIG. 1. The visor member 104 attached to at least the partof the circular rim 108 configures a ball cap. It will be evident tothose skilled in the art that the visor member 104 attached throughoutthe circular rim 108 may configure a hat. Moreover, the visor member 104extends away from the hemispherical portion 102 and is substantiallyperpendicular to the hemispherical portion 102. The visor member 104 iscapable of protecting the wearer's face portion and eyes from rays ofthe sun.

At least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104is configured of at least one of a hook fastening material and a loopfastening material for removably coupling to the at least one patch suchas the patch 106. An example of the hook fastening material and the loopfastening material may be a VELCRO arrangement. It will be evident tothose skilled in the art that the at least one patch and at least one ofthe hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configuredof a complimentary fastening material. For instance, the at least onepatch is configured of the loop fastening material when at least one ofthe hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 is configured ofthe hook fastening material. Similarly, the at least one patch isconfigured of the hook fastening material when at least one of thehemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 is configured of theloop fastening material.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion102 is configured of the hook fastening material and the patch 106 isconfigured of the loop fastening material for forming a removableattachment. The visor member 104 may be configured of a fabric toimprove style of the headgear 100. The at least one patch may beconfigured to include a logotype, hereinafter referred to as a logo,capable of being displayed on the at least one patch. In FIG. 1, thepatch 106 is depicted to display the logo capable of uniquelyidentifying an entity. Examples of the entity may include but are notlimited to a professional sports team, an intercollegiate team or anathletic apparel manufacturing company.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 removably coupled to apair of sunglasses, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. As explained in conjunction with FIG. 1, at least oneof the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 is configuredof at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fasteningmaterial for removably coupling to the at least one patch. FIG. 2depicts a patch 202 capable of being removably coupled to at least oneof the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104. The patch 202is configured of complimentary fastening material to removably couple toat least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104.In one embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion102 is configured of the hook fastening material and the patch 202 isconfigured of the loop fastening material to form a removableattachment. In another embodiment of the present invention, thehemispherical portion 102 is configured of the loop fastening materialand the patch 202 is configured of the hook fastening material to formthe removable attachment. It will be evident to those skilled in the artthat the patch 202 may be similarly removably coupled to the visormember 104.

FIG. 2 depicts a sunglass 204 a and a sunglass 204 b connected to eachother by a stem portion 206. The sunglasses 204 a and 204 b are capableof covering eyes of the wearer for providing protection to the eyes ofthe wearer from environmental conditions such as wind, rays of the sunand the like. Each of the sunglasses 204 a and 204 b are connected to asupporting stem, such as a supporting stem 208 a and a supporting stem208 b respectively, capable of resting on an ear portion (not shown) ofthe wearer. For purposes of the description, the sunglasses 204 a and204 b, the stem portion 206 and the supporting stem portions 208 a and208 b are together referred to as a pair of sunglasses.

The pair of sunglasses may be removably coupled to the headgear 100using the patch 202. The patch 202 may be removably coupled at ends tothe hemispherical portion 102 to form a loop in-between the ends forincluding the stem portion 206. One of the ends of the patch 202 may betemporarily uncoupled from the hemispherical portion 102 for sliding thestem portion 206 in the loop formed therebetween the ends. On includingthe stem portion 206 in the loop portion formed therebetween the ends ofthe patch 202, the uncoupled end may then be coupled to thehemispherical portion 102 for closing the loop. The stem portion 206included in the loop formed therebetween the ends of the patch 202removably couples the pair of sunglasses to the headgear 100. In oneembodiment of the invention, the patch 202 is removably coupled at endsto the visor member 104 for forming the loop therebetween for includingthe stem portion 206.

On onset of favorable environmental conditions, the wearer may precludeusing the pair of sunglasses and may then removably couple the pair ofsunglasses to the headgear 100. The pair of sunglasses removably coupledto the headgear 100 precludes the need for the wearer to carry a casefor storing the pair of sunglasses, when in unused condition. Moreover,removably coupling the pair of sunglasses to the headgear 100 provides ahands-free and a safe option for the wearer for supporting the pair ofsunglasses.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 removably coupled to aremovable shade 302, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. The removable shade 302 is configured to protect atleast one of a neck portion and ears of the wearer (not shown) fromenvironmental factors such as wind, rays of the sun and the like. Anedge portion of the removable shade 302 may be configured with the atleast one patch capable of removably coupling to at least one of thehemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104. As explained inconjunction with FIG. 1, at least one of the hemispherical portion 102and the visor member 104 may be configured of at least one of the hookfastening material and the loop fastening material. The at least onepatch configured on the edge portion of the removable shade 302, mayaccordingly be configured of complimentary fastening material. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 isconfigured of the hook fastening material and the at least one patch isconfigured of the loop fastening material for removably coupling theremovable shade 302 to the headgear 100. In another embodiment of thepresent invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of theloop fastening material and the at least one patch is configured of thehook fastening material for removably coupling the removable shade 302to the headgear 100.

In FIG. 3, the at least one patch configured on the edge portion of theremovable shade 302 is shown removably coupled to the circular rim 108defined by the hemispherical portion 102. It will be evident to thoseskilled in the art that the at least one patch configured on edge potionof the removable shade 302 may be attached at any other portion of thehemispherical portion 102 of the headgear 100. The removable shade 302may be configured to display the logo (not shown) uniquely identifyingan entity such as the professional sports team, the intercollegiate teamand the apparel sports manufacturer, as explained in conjunction withFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the headgear 100 configured with a compartment402, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. At least one patch such as a patch 404 is removably coupledto at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member104 for configuring the compartment 402. In FIG. 4, the patch 404 isdepicted to be removably coupled to the hemispherical portion 102 forconfiguring the compartment 402. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, the patch 404 may be coupled to the visor member 104. Thepatch 404 may include at least one of the hook fastening material andthe loop fastening material at three or more edge portions (not shown),hereinafter referred to as the edge portions, for removably coupling toat least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104.As explained in conjunction with FIG. 1, at least one of thehemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured ofat least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fasteningmaterial. The edge portions of the patch 404 may accordingly beconfigured of complimentary fastening material. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of thehook fastening material and the edge portions are configured of the loopfastening material for removably coupling the patch 404 to the headgear100 for configuring the compartment 402. In another embodiment of thepresent invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of theloop fastening material and the edge portions are configured of the hookfastening material for removably coupling the patch 404 to the headgear100 for configuring the compartment 402.

A size of the patch 404 may be suitably chosen to configure thecompartment 402 for removably coupling accessories such as a musicplayer (not shown), a portable media device, an MP3 player and the like,to the headgear 100. The music player may be removably coupled to theheadgear 100 in a used condition as well as an unused condition toprovide hands free comfort to the wearer (not shown). The compartment402 may also be configured to removably couple a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) chip (not shown) to at least one of the hemisphericalportion 102 and the visor member 104. The GPS chip may especially bebeneficial to wearers on adventure expeditions for precluding thepossibility of getting lost. Further, military personnel may also usethe GPS chip removably coupled to the headgear 100 for trackingpurposes. In one embodiment of the present invention, the compartment402 may also be configured to removably couple a strobe light (notshown) or a night-glow (not shown) to at least one of the hemisphericalportion 102 and the visor member 104 for illuminating a desired area.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 with an attachingmechanism 502 for attaching a pair of earphones (not shown), inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Asexplained in conjunction with FIG. 1, at least one of the hemisphericalportion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured of at least oneof the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material forremovably coupling to at least one patch. As depicted in FIG. 5, theattaching mechanism 502 may be provided on the hemispherical portion 102and may include a plurality of loops, such as a loop 504 a and a loop504 b, for including a cord (not shown) of the pair of earphonestherebetween, for removably coupling the pair of earphones to theheadgear 100. In one embodiment of the present invention, each loop ofthe plurality of loops is configured to open on application of a pullingforce for receiving the cord of the earphones. The each loop may then beclosed by application of a pressing force to attach the pair ofearphones to the headgear 100.

A connecting wire (not shown) connecting the pair of earphones to amusic player such as the portable media device, MP3 player and the likemay also be included in the plurality of loops along with the cord.Additionally, a patch such as the patch 404 as explained in conjunctionwith FIG. 4 may be provided for removably coupling the music player tothe headgear 100 for providing hands free comfort to the wearer. A sideview of the pair of earphones removably coupled to the headgear 100 isdepicted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 removably coupled tothe pair of earphones such as a pair of earphones 602, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The pair ofearphones 602 is connected to each other through a cord 604. The cord604 passes through the attaching mechanism 502 provided on thehemispherical portion 102 of the headgear 100. Further, FIG. 6 depicts apatch 606 removably coupled to the hemispherical portion 102. Asexplained in conjunction with FIG. 1, the at least one of thehemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured ofat least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fasteningmaterial for removably coupling to the patch 606. The patch 606 isconfigured of complimentary fastening material for removably coupling toat least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104.

A headgear such as the headgear 100 may be used for covering the headportion of the wearer. The headgear including a hemispherical portionsuch as the hemispherical portion 102 and a visor member such as thevisor member 104 configured of at least one of a hook fastening materialand a loop fastening material, may provide the wearer customizingoptions for customizing the headgear to the wearer's preference. One ormore patches such as the patch 106 may be removably coupled to at leastone of the hemispherical portion and the visor member for precluding thewearer from purchasing multiple caps suited for different occasions. Forinstance, a wearer may wish to represent a particular entity such as aprofessional sports team at an occasion such as a playoff game. Thewearer may then removably couple a patch such as the patch 106 bearing alogo representing the professional sports team to the hemisphericalportion of the headgear. For another occasion, such as a family outing,the wearer may uncouple the patch bearing the logo representing theprofessional sports team and couple another patch to the hemisphericalportion. Thus, the headgear precludes the need for the wearer topurchase multiple caps for multiple occasions.

Further, patches such as the patch 202 and the patch 404, may help thewearer to removably couple at least one of the GPS chip, the strobelight, the removable shade, the pair of sunglasses and the portablemedia device to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visormember for providing hands free comfort to the wearer. Moreover, atleast one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening materialconfigured on at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visormember may improve the style of the headgear. Further, coupling the atleast one patch suited to the wearer's preference may also improve thestyle of the headgear.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit thepresent invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the present invention and its practicalapplication, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to bestutilize the present invention and various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It isunderstood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents arecontemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but suchomissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application orimplementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimsof the present invention.

1. A headgear comprising: a hemispherical portion adapted to receive ahead portion of a wearer, the hemispherical portion defining a circularrim; and a visor member attached to at least a part of the circular rimand substantially perpendicular to the hemispherical portion, wherein atleast one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member isconfigured of at least one a hook fastening material and a loopfastening material capable of removably coupling to at least one patch.2. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least one patch is configuredof a loop fastening material when at least one of the hemisphericalportion and the visor member is configured of the hook fasteningmaterial.
 3. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least one patch isconfigured of a hook fastening material when at least one of thehemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of the loopfastening material.
 4. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least onepatch comprises a logotype capable of being displayed on the at leastone patch.
 5. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least one patch isconfigured to removably couple at least one of a GPS chip, a strobelight, a removable shade, a pair of sunglasses and a portable mediadevice to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visormember.
 6. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the visor member is composedof a fabric.
 7. The headgear of claim 1, further comprises attachingmechanism for attaching a pair of earphones to at least one of thehemispherical portion and the visor member.